When I was younger I used to let my mind run wild,
Pretending to be all sorts of things, anything but a child;
I would dress up like a princess and change my name,
Invite over all my friends and play this fairytale game.
Then as night fell I would be myself,
And put away all my costumes on the shelf,
Till the next day when I would play again,
And pretend I was a doctor at only the age of ten.
Costume after costume, one dream after another,
Sometimes I would even dress up my little brother.
Those days where doing nothing was everything,
And my most important decision was the tea party, and what I would bring.
Being a kid was so much fun,
Where did those years go? Why are they done?
I guess I grew up and am busier now,
My imagination has faded some way, some how.
What I would give to relive those days,
No longer is my free time spent in those same ways.
My mind no longer focused on tea,
Instead I’m studying about algae.
Those days as a child I took for granted,
My princess costume and my castle enchanted;
Now my heart is set on something concrete,
Not imaginary people who are obsolete.
Though it would be nice to be a child again, even for just an hour,
And dream of running through fields of wildflower.
Just a moment, that would be nice,
But I don’t even have enough time to think about it twice.
Oh innocence! Where have you gone?
I feel like my imagination has been withdrawn.